confluence

Borrowed from Late Latin confluentia, from con- + fluere.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnflʊəns/
• Hyphenation: con‧flu‧ence

confluence (plural confluences)

1. The place where two rivers, streams, or other continuously flowing bodies of water meet and become one, especially where a tributary joins a river.

   We encountered an abandoned boat at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

2. The act of combining which occurs at the place where rivers and the lake meet.

   The confluence of the rivers produced a great rush of water.

3. A convergence or combination of forces, people, or things.

   The confluence of our skills resulted in a successful home renovation project.

4. (biology) The proportion of cells, in a culture medium, that adhere to each other

• conflux

• confluence aloft